Direction-indicator



W. W| EGAND. DIRECTION INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. I918.

Patented J 111) 15, 1919.

WALTER wIEGAn'D, on BALTIMORE, MAnYLAni).

DIRECTION-INDICATOR.

bpecificatioh of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1919.

Application filed February 9,- 1918. Serial No. 216,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, lVALTERWVInGAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State ofMarylan'd, have invented new and useful Improvements in Direction-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention seeks to provide, as its principal object, a direction indicator for auto vehicles and the like, whereby the driver or chaufl'eurof such a vehicle may be enabled to sit at the steering wheel and yet indicate to drivers in his rear the direction he proposes to take. 7

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character having its parts so arranged and associated with each other that the device may be readily applied to auto vehicles having different lengths of bodies.

Still another object is to provide a direction indicator which is simple in construction, durable and effective in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still other andfurther objects appear in the following detailed description.

To the exact construction to which it is shown and described, the invention isnot to be restricted. Actual practical appli cation may suggest certain desirable changes or alterations and the right is claimed to make any which do not deviate from the scope of the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an auto vehicle showing the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the adjustable rack members which comprise a portion of the invention,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the bearing supports for the rod member by means of which the indicator is operated.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an auto vehicle A on the bottom or flooring 1 of which, there are mounted, Z-shaped brackets 2, one of the flanges of each bracket being provided with holes 3 to permit the insertion therethrough of appropriate screws to effect the attachment of the brackets to the bottom 1. The remaining flange of each of these Z-shaped brackets is provided with a centrally disposed hole,

through which there is passed, an arm 4, circular in cross section and provided with external threads, so that it may receive a pair of nuts 5 which are adapted to be screwed down against both the top and bottom faces of the flange of the Z-shaped bracket to effect rigid attachment of the arm 1 thereto. on the lower end of the arm 4, there is formed, a block 6 provided with a central eye 7 which forms a bearing for a rod 8, the latter being circular in cross section. The brackets 2 are positioned at suitable points on the bottom 1 of the vehicle, so that the rod 8 may be supported appropriately throughout its length, the rod being designed to extend from a point directly below the dash of the vehicle to a point slightly beyond the rear of the body thereof. Adapted for longitudinal movement, the rod receives thereon, the ears 9 which are disposed in planes at right angles to and made integral parts of rack bars 10. The cars 9 would loosely engage the rod 8,

were it not for the set screws 11 which threadingly engage the ears and are adapted to be set down-against the rod. Then the set screws 11 are loosened, the rack bars may be adjusted longitudinally along the rod, as is apparent in the drawings.

Cooperating with the rear rack bar 10, there is a gear 12 fixedly mounted on the bottom. end of a staff or spindle 13 provided with a thrust bearing formed in a bracket 14: attached to the rear of the vehicle frame. The gear 12 meshes with the teeth of the rack bar 10, and it is obvious that longitudinal movement imparted to the rack bar will result in turning the gear and with it, the staff 13 and indicator pointer 1a, which is fixedly secured to the staff at its upper end. The staff 13 is designed to stand in a vertical position and is maintained in such a position by a bracket bearing 15 which is attached on the rear end of the vehicle frame.

To eflect longitudinal movement of the rod 8, there is provided a vertical shaft 17 whose lower end engages the thrust bearing formed in the bracket 16 secured on the bottom of the vehicle body. This shaft 17 carries a gear 20 which meshes with the teeth formed in the adjacent rack bar 10. The shaft 17 is designed to stand vertically and enters the interior of the vehicle body through the front dash, it being supported near its upper end by an appropriate bearcan] ing bracket 18. At the extreme upper end, the shaft 17 has attached thereon, a hand lever 19, whereby the shaft may be rocked.

In the application of the invention, the hand lever 19 and the signal pointer point normally rearwardly. From a consideration of the drawings, it will be evident that moving the hand lever 19 either to the right or to the left will result in a corresponding movement being imparted to the pointer 14, since the rocking of the shaft 17 will, through the medium of the two gears referred to and the two rack bars 10 together with the longitudinal movement imparted to the rod 8, effect the rocking of the staff 13 in the direction in which the shaft 17 is rocked.

The provision made for locking the rack bars in position on the rod member 8 provides for the adjustment of these rack bars longitudinally on the rod, thereby making possible the attachment of the invention to auto vehicles of various lengths of bodies.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the operation and advantages of the invention will be evident, and further description, therefore, is omitted.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A direction indicator comprising brackets adapted for mounting on the bottom of a vehicle body, bearing blocks formed with externally threaded arms passing slidably through the brackets, nuts carried by the arms abutting the top and bottom faces of the brackets whereby the bearing blocks may be adjusted vertically to properly aline the same, a rod slidably mounted in the bearing blocks, an indicating pointer mounted on the vehicle body, means for imparting longitudinal movement to the rod, and connections between the rod and the indicating pointer whereby the latter is operated when the rod is moved.

2. A direction indicator comprising a bearing bracket for mounting upon a vehicle body, a vertically disposed shaft carried in said bracket, an indicating pointer carried at the upper end of said shaft, a gear carried at the lower end of said shaft, a rod member, bearings adapted for attachment to the bottom of a vehicle body, the rod member slidably engaging said bearings so that it may be moved longitudinally, a handle operatively connected with the said rod for imparting longitudinal movement to the same, and a rack bar meshing with the aforesaid gear so that longitudinal movement imparted to the rod may rock the vertical shaft for the operation of the inclicating pointer, the said rack bar being formed with ears having holes through which the said rod passes and being provided with set screws which seat against the rod, whereby the rack bar may be adjusted along the rod to effect the proper relative positions of the indicating pointer and the said rod.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WALTER WIEGAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for-five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

